By DEBORAH A. MILES
Field Services is a PEF department that spans the state with offices in each region and works under the umbrella of PEF’s Labor Relations Department.
The 30 field representatives advocate on behalf of members who face problems in the workplace. The field reps are experts at enforcing the PS&T contract, and responsible for negotiating six other contracts, and are quite savvy when dealing with managers, lawyers and decision makers.
Field reps have a special calling. They are a breed of people devoted to enforcing justice and helping others. Depending on the day’s assignment, they could be talking to an employee who is facing a disciplinary problem, filing a grievance for someone who isn’t getting overtime pay, or filing an improper practice charge with the Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) for members facing discrimination because of their union activity.
“They
are the table-pounding, yet wise, labor-relations advocates for our members,”
said PEF Director of Labor Relations Roger Scales.“When a PEF field rep walks into a room, he or she is the president’s designee. They are expected to be an equal leader with anyone at any level of state government.
“In order to defend our members, a field rep cannot be shy. They are insubordinate in nature, confrontational in a productive way, and have a secure personality in order to get business done,” Scales said.
Although the traits of strength may be similar among PEF’s field reps, their assignments are “significantly different” depending on their location.
In Albany, where five field reps represent nearly 17,000 members, the cases are typically labor-management oriented. In New York City, the cases tend to be more discipline oriented.
“The workload of a field rep is different in the North Country,” Scales said. “Our members work in institutions, psychiatric centers and developmental disability centers. There is ungodly travel. In other areas, it seems to have more of a family atmosphere. Everyone knows each other and work is done through a different process. It’s less bureaucratic.
“Each region is unique and the field reps have their own ways of getting the job done,” Scales said.
Some of the field reps are former PEF leaders, some have master’s degrees, some are lawyers and there’s one who was a mental health therapy aide. They work closely with stewards, help divisions become fully mobilized, and work with other PEF staff in campaigns to prevent layoffs and closures.
The Field Services supervisors are:
PEF Regions 1-4 — Tom Privitere. Field reps: Frederick Becker, Bob Beckwith, Peter Costello, Arthur Munson, Bruce Smith, Bob Tompkins, Lynn Tucker, and Peter Yurkewicz.
PEF Regions 5, 7, 9 — James Kemenash. Field reps: Frank Greco, Dominick Mannino, Barbara Nectow, Bill Noonan, John Pietaro, and Paul West.
PEF Regions 6, 8 — Roger Scales. Field Reps: Tom Capone, Edward Bradley, Jim Hair, Randy Harris, Kurt Minersagen (not shown), Ed Ray, and Susan Radosh.
PEF Regions 10-12 — Marvin Moschel. Field reps: Carlos Arroyo, Jacqueline Cataldo, Dora Kearsley, Warren Lew, Leonard Mangano, Priscilla Marco, Barry Markman, Richard Nsiah-Yeboah, Michele Routi, and Jane Schwarz.
The administrative support staff includes: Susan Brocker, Carol Chonka, Sara Dempsey, Joyce Ford, Christine Henderson, Sandi Hunt, Liz Kinne, Joan Klug, Darlene Musson (not shown), Dawn Owens, Josephine Rice, Lorraine Rizzo, Pat Sante, Wendy Seeger, Pamela Skeete, Lois Thompson, and Margaret Wexler.
